1. Technical Field
This invention generally relates to a sprayer for dispensing substances, and more specifically relates to a pressurized sprayer for dispensing substances adapted to alter or affect behavior.
2. Background Art
Pressurized sprayers adapted to deliver a substance to a target area have been used for many years, and in many contexts. One context where pressurized sprayers have become increasingly common is police work, including for self-defense and for crowd or riot control. There are a number of sprayers suitable for these uses that deliver behavior-altering or other chemicals by using the controlled release of pressure.
For reasons relating to both liability and, to an extent, society""s attitude toward the humane treatment of criminals and suspected criminals, less-lethal and non-lethal methods of subduing an adversary are gaining popularity among police forces and other law-enforcement personnel. These methods allow a policeman to, for example, temporarily alter or control the behavior of an adversary, perhaps by inflicting temporary pain, without causing any permanent injury or damage. Substances such as pepper spray and tear gas fall into the general category of non-lethal enforcement tools. Pepper spray, tear gas, and other inflammatory or tear agents may be effectively delivered using pressurized sprayers.
Existing spray devices, however, share certain shortcomings that inhibit desired performance. The most significant shortcomings relate to portability, ease of use, and discharge angle. Many of the current devices are too heavy, bulky, or awkward to be effectively carried by a single person, especially while performing strenuous or dangerous activities like a foot chase or a struggle with a violent assailant. The design of many of the existing devices is such that they may be discharged only when held at a very specific angle, limiting their effectiveness. Others of the devices must be refilled or recharged using a time-consuming process in which the chemical may only drip slowly into its container under carefully controlled conditions of temperature and pressure. Still others, while portable, lack the capacity required for prolonged or heavy use.
Therefore, there exists a need for a portable sprayer that is easy to use and maintain, has sufficient capacity for prolonged use, and delivers an accurate, dependable chemical spray that is effective in behavior control or alteration. The present invention fills that need by providing a sprayer that includes two pressurized tanks physically and fluidly coupled to each other. One tank is inverted with respect to the other so that the top of one tank is adjacent to the bottom of the other tank, and vice versa. One tank contains a propellant such as carbon dioxide and the other contains a tear agent or other chemical irritant. The invention includes a shut-off valve adapted to regulate the flow of the chemical, and a dispensing head for accurate, controllable delivery.